COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: Getting to know the Eureka City Council, Part 1: Melinda Ciarabellini

When I initially proposed the idea of doing a series on the Eureka City Council, Melinda Ciarabellini was the first to respond to my inquiry. I soon found out that being first has been a recurring theme in her life and career.

Originally from Southern California, Melinda came to Humboldt State University to pursue a degree in sociology. While she wasn't sure what career path she wanted, she knew that she was interested in working with people.

That interest led her to a rather unusual summer job that would change the course of her life. At only 20 years old, Melinda spent her first Humboldt summer in jail -- as a correctional aide.

She was so impacted by the experience that she continued on with a full-time job after summer. She worked the graveyard shift while still attending college in the day, sneaking in sleep when she could.

After graduating, Melinda was hired in the position of deputy sheriff, where she was quickly shipped off to the Bay Area for training.

"The first day they lined us up at the goal line on a football field, and we had to bear-crawl across the field," Melinda said. "It was 100 degrees out, and people were puking."

Out of 50 cadets, Melinda was one of the four women to graduate, a ratio that she would get quite used to in her career.

"I was a woman in a man's world," she said. "I was one of only six women deputy sheriffs on the department and one of two on patrol. Some of the guys didn't think that women belonged on patrol."

Her co-workers weren't the only ones with reservations about her career.

"My mother was very concerned; for Christmas that year, she bought me a bulletproof vest," she said.

In 1983, Melinda was promoted to correctional supervisor, and then to lieutenant in 1987, becoming the first woman in the department to be promoted into a management position. Being a lieutenant was a big deal, as it was the highest rank you could get in corrections. Fifteen years later, when the jail had grown bigger and the laws changed, Melinda became the department's first-ever correctional captain.

"It was great, because all the officers below me could have aspirations someday as to being the person in charge of the jail," Melinda said. "It was sort of groundbreaking at the time, and really busted that glass ceiling for everybody."

Of everything she's done, Melinda shares that she is most proud of her participation in the design and operation of the new correctional facility, as well as the many jail alternative programs that she was a part of, including a substance abuse treatment program for offenders and a mentally ill treatment program.

"We were really on the cutting edge with these programs," Melinda recalled. "This was during a time when nobody really wanted programs, they wanted hard cells."

Throughout her tenure, she also taught corrections at the police academy, and later worked as an instructor for the National Institute of Corrections. She also went back to school and earned a master's degree in education.

Somewhere in the midst of all that, she raised a family with her husband of 31 years, Pete, who worked as a sergeant at the Sheriff's Office. She jokes that she outranked him at the office, and at home.

In 2007, Melinda had the opportunity to retire, but instead chose to take a job at the State Corrections Standards Authority. When she finally did retire in October 2010, it would last for all of a month. That November's election saw Frank Jager elected mayor of Eureka, and he vacated his fourth ward council seat. Melinda threw her hat in the ring, and the rest is history.

"I really love doing the business of the city," she said. "Not every decision is an easy decision, but I try to be as informed as I can when making them."

Melinda has spent her career facing challenges head on and being a trailblazer of sorts. She applies that same mindset in her role as council member.

Every decision may not be an easy one, but nothing worth doing is ever really easy. I'm sure Melinda would be the first one to tell you that.

------

Brian Millett is the recreation coordinator for the city of Eureka and can be reached at bmillett@ci.eureka.ca.gov. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the viewpoint of the Times-Standard.